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Room Tour: A Storage-packed Kitchen-diner With Colourful Accents
Functional storage and a walk-in pantry help to keep this family’s open-plan kitchen and living space clutter-free
The owners of this light-filled, open-plan space wanted their kitchen and living area to feel calm and minimal, but with some fun and sociable elements. They hired designer Heather Kealey of Heather Kealey Interiors to help them create their dream family space.
Heather combined durable surfaces and practical storage, to make it easy for the family to use their new space and keep it tidy, while adding design elements such as colour, lighting and texture to bring warmth and character to the minimalist room.
Heather combined durable surfaces and practical storage, to make it easy for the family to use their new space and keep it tidy, while adding design elements such as colour, lighting and texture to bring warmth and character to the minimalist room.
Here’s a floor plan of the room, with different zones for the kitchen, living and dining areas, as well as a walk-in pantry.
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Thinking of renovating? Find everyone you need, from interior designers to builders, carpenters and decorators, on Houzz.
The couple were keen to have a minimalist look, so Heather worked with the team at Arcade Kitchens to design a cooking space with clean lines and no clutter. A combination of tall units, drawers and smaller cabinets in a sleek, handleless design provides plenty of storage to keep clutter at bay.
Heather then created a cosy feel with layered lighting, including some LED strips that illuminate the bottom of the peninsula.
Kitchen, Häcker at Arcade Kitchens. Bar stools, Cox & Cox. Muuto pendants, Scandium.
Heather then created a cosy feel with layered lighting, including some LED strips that illuminate the bottom of the peninsula.
Kitchen, Häcker at Arcade Kitchens. Bar stools, Cox & Cox. Muuto pendants, Scandium.
“To give the kitchen a timeless finish, we went for quite a simple colour palette with taupe cabinet doors,” Heather says. “But [the couple] really liked the idea of adding colour, so we chose a green quartz worktop and splashback for the sink area.”
The rest of the worktops are a white-toned Dekton, which is incredibly durable. “We focus on sustainability a lot,” Heather says. She chose the kitchen and worktop brands for their longevity to reduce wastage, as well as for their eco credentials.
Green Silestone worktop, Cosentino. White worktop, Dekton. Ovens, Bosch. Sink, Blanco.
The rest of the worktops are a white-toned Dekton, which is incredibly durable. “We focus on sustainability a lot,” Heather says. She chose the kitchen and worktop brands for their longevity to reduce wastage, as well as for their eco credentials.
Green Silestone worktop, Cosentino. White worktop, Dekton. Ovens, Bosch. Sink, Blanco.
The under-cabinet lights are actually lightboxes: they shine down onto the work surface and up to illuminate the cupboard when it’s open.
More: How to Design an Open-plan Kitchen Layout
More: How to Design an Open-plan Kitchen Layout
The hob with its integrated downdraft extractor sits flush to the worktop, which adds to the minimalist look. “The [couple] like to do a lot of cooking and felt it would be nice to have the hob on the peninsula to look out and be sociable while using it,” Heather says.
She and the kitchen suppliers planned the storage meticulously, adding lots of internal features to the drawers to improve functionality. These include metal holders for the aluminium foil and clingfilm, and wooden boxes to organise items.
Hob, Bora.
She and the kitchen suppliers planned the storage meticulously, adding lots of internal features to the drawers to improve functionality. These include metal holders for the aluminium foil and clingfilm, and wooden boxes to organise items.
Hob, Bora.
Here’s an example of some of that thoughtful storage – a tray with inserts for organising easy-access herbs and spices.
At the end of the kitchen area, Heather made use of a large recess to add a walk-in pantry. “We fitted a sliding pocket door that they can keep open without it getting in anyone’s way,” she says.
“We added lots of open shelving inside to make it a really easy storage space,” Heather continues. “There are two vegetable drawers and surfaces for small appliances. The [owners] can see everything at a glance and then slide the door shut when they’ve finished using it.”
The couple wanted the kitchen to be joined to the living space, so Emily sited an L-shaped sofa right in front of the peninsula. The family can talk to whoever is cooking while looking out of the glazed doors to the garden.
A wall of acoustic panelling adds texture and ties in with the engineered oak flooring, which has been fitted throughout the ground floor to create a feeling of flow. There’s more of this panelling on the side of the peninsula, which helps to tie the two spaces together.
Sofa, Loaf. Cushions, Nordic Nest. Throw, John Lewis. Coffee table, Mutto. Rug, Benuta. Acoustic panelling, Acupanel.
A wall of acoustic panelling adds texture and ties in with the engineered oak flooring, which has been fitted throughout the ground floor to create a feeling of flow. There’s more of this panelling on the side of the peninsula, which helps to tie the two spaces together.
Sofa, Loaf. Cushions, Nordic Nest. Throw, John Lewis. Coffee table, Mutto. Rug, Benuta. Acoustic panelling, Acupanel.
While the couple love a muted palette, they were also keen to add some colour. Heather used the green kitchen worktop as a starting point and complemented it with a pastel pink sofa. “I used Houzz Pro’s Selections tool to share product choices with the clients,” she says. “They found it really easy to use.”
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software.
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software.
The dining area looks out to the surrounding landscape and Heather continued the minimal look with a simple white table. The couple already had the brown dining chairs, so Heather added more in green to echo the greens elsewhere.
Dining chairs, Arper.
Dining chairs, Arper.
A dresser in the dining area provides a useful storage space for tablecloths, serving dishes and anything else the family might need for mealtimes.
The owners are over the moon with their new space. “It’s the undisputed hub of our home – we love it. It works so well and looks so good,” they say. “Heather has brilliantly interpreted our wishes into something beyond our imagination. We are so grateful to her.”
Tell us…
What do you like about this open-plan kitchen and living room? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
The owners are over the moon with their new space. “It’s the undisputed hub of our home – we love it. It works so well and looks so good,” they say. “Heather has brilliantly interpreted our wishes into something beyond our imagination. We are so grateful to her.”
Tell us…
What do you like about this open-plan kitchen and living room? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A couple with two children
Location Ilkley, West Yorkshire
Property A midcentury house with four bedrooms
Room dimensions 44 sq m
Designer Heather Kealey of Heather Kealey Interiors
Kitchen supplier and fitter Arcade Kitchens & Bedrooms
Photos by David Lindsay
This kitchen and living space was originally two separate rooms, with a kitchen on one side of the wall and a living room on the other. The owners wanted a larger, more sociable space, so the wall was removed to create an open-plan room.